Brand’s felony charge carries two-year prison sentence

The Forgetting Sarah Marshall star turned himself in to police in the city on Thursday (15Mar12) and was arrested following an angry encounter with snapper Timothy Jackson on Monday (12Mar12). Brand stands accused of throwing the photographer’s iPhone through the window of an abandoned building.

He walked free from jail hours later after posting $5,000 (£3,125) bail, and reports suggested he was just facing a $700 (£437) fine for a charge of simple criminal damage.

But editors at TMZ.com claim Brand’s offence qualified as a felony arrest – because the damage caused to the iPhone and the smashed window amounted to more than $500 (£313). The window repair cost $240 (£150) alone. The actor has since compensated property owners.